Man sentenced in disabled woman's rape

Updated 11:08 pm, Tuesday, February 19, 2013

STAMFORD -- A Norwalk man found guilty by a jury in November of raping a mentally impaired woman was sentenced Tuesday to serve eight years in prison and 35 years of probation.

Judge Bruce Hudock said if he had his way, he would have sentenced Wanto Polynice, 30, to the maximum 10-year prison sentence, but he wanted a suspended two-year sentence hanging over his head in case he violates probation.

Calling the evidence against him "horrific," Hudock told Polynice that he wanted him supervised by probation officials "as long as humanly possible. This cannot happen again."

After two days of deliberation following a two-week trial, a jury found Polynice guilty of second-degree sexual assault by virtue that the woman, who was 20 years old at the time, was mentally defective to the extent she was unable to consent to sexual intercourse.

Polynice, a job coach for Abilis, the Greenwich organization serving the mentally handicapped, was getting ready to drive the woman, who has an IQ of 59 and the language skills and intellectual capacity of a 5- to 9-year-old, and others in her group home to a job-training class at a Greenwich church on the morning of March 22, 2011, Senior Assistant State's Attorney Paul Ferencek told the court. He said Polynice went into the woman's room placed a bean bag against the door and told her to pull her pants down and pushed her onto the bed and had sex with her.

Although he was found not guilty at trial of first-degree sexual assault -- forcible rape -- Ferencek said Polynice knew the woman's physical and mental limitations.

"The facts of this case clearly merit the maximum sentence," Ferencek said as Polynice looked on without emotion.

Representing the girl's parents, who looked on silently from a first row pew in the courtroom, attorney Michael Jones said Polynice, "Truly abused his position of trust," and also asked for the maximum sentence.

Polynice's attorney, Stephan Seeger, who acknowledged the disturbing nature of Polynice's offense, told Hudock it is too easy to be overwhelmed by emotion and disgust in the case.

He said there are cultural differences to be taken into consideration with the Haitian immigrant and that he did not want to hurt anyone. Seeger asked for a six-and-one half year sentence.

Polynice said he was sorry for the trouble and pain he caused. "I wish this never happened," he said, before turning slightly and thanking his family for their support.

Hudock said he found it hard to find any redeeming qualities in Polynice.

He said what Polynice did was akin to "Taking a lamb to slaughter. It was that easy."

Along with the sentence, Hudock forbade Polynice from taking part in any health care employment. He ordered Polynice to spend the 35 years of probation registered on the state's sex-offender registry and never contact the woman or her family.

After the verdict, Ferencek said the sentence was appropriate.

"We're pleased with the court's overall sentence as it provides for a long period of jail and ensures that once released, the defendant will be heavily monitored by probation and prohibited from working in the health care industry," he said. "It's rare for a court to impose the full maximum 35 years period in rape cases ... But it was justified here given the defendant's deviant and predatory nature. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing."